Cigar exclusive: meeting Jessica Biel

10/29/08 - Bright lights. Loud music. Big names. Red carpet. A dream.And if only for one night, my dream came true Oct. 27, when I walked the red carpet at the Rome Film Festival with Jessica Biel and Ben Barnes. While it was just hitting rush hour on the East Coast of the states, it was nearing 10 p.m. over here on the other side of the world in Rome. And when the clock struck 10, the real party began.

It was the sixth day of the third annual Rome Film Festival, and it was a night to remember, at least for me. On Sunday, I received tickets to go see the Italian premier of director Stephan Elliot's "Easy Virtue" featuring well-known stars including Biel, Barnes, and Colin Firth. They were all in attendance at the festival.

Biel, who made a mark on the world in "7th Heaven," was no longer little Mary from the basketball court. She has grown into a stunning 26-year-old woman, while Ben Barnes walked out looking just as handsome as he did in the Disney flick, "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian."

My friend and I arrived at the red carpet three hours prior to their appearance. I proclaimed to my friend, "I feel like big things are going to happen tonight." I knew that I would have the opportunity to see Biel in person, but I didn't know to what extent.

When we first got to the carpet, we realized that we were allowed to walk on it, but we didn't know why. I then realized that we were walking on the red carpet alongside Italian stars. We snapped a few pictures but we were unsure of who they were. All along the way I questioned what was going on, and why we were allowed to walk on the carpet at the same time as these Italian stars.

Soon, we were guided into the auditorium. We then made our way back out to the outside barrier of the red carpet to await Biel's and Barne's arrival.

With an hour to go until the red carpet show, two TV men came up to us and began to talk to us. They told us that they were normally actors, but for tonight, they were hosts.

I would refer to them as the Italian Ryan Seacrests.

Shortly after, Elliot, Barnes, and Biel arrived. First on the red carpet was Barnes. Jaimie and I began to snap pictures, and then we saw Biel enter wearing a strapless, silver dress. Biel made her way down the red carpet, as Jaimie and I headed to the entrance where we had gone in earlier. We showed our tickets and were immediately let onto the carpet.

We took our time, and then reached Barnes. We began walking casually with him. I shook his hand and said, "Nice to meet you, you're a great actor." Jaimie and I then circled back and asked him if we could take a picture with him. He didn't mind at all.

I told Jaimie we still had to meet Biel, who was finishing her interviews at the beginning of the red carpet. She was surrounded by her family, friends, and security. Things were looking grim for us, especially when a security guard asked us to proceed to the end of the red carpet and enter the theater.

Jaimie and I stood near the end of the carpet in a stairway. There we remained until a man came up to us. We can refer to him as the James Bond of paparazzi. He told us in Italian that he would take a picture of us with her if we took a picture of him with her. We kindly agreed, but again a security guard found us. He asked us to leave and James Bond began to talk to him in Italian. We remained in the stairwell. Then, he went back onto the carpet and he followed.

Biel was now within three feet of me, talking to a little girl who had been allowed onto the red carpet. I tried to wait as patiently as I could. My knees began to shake. In 10 years I picture myself interviewing these stars on the red carpet. This was a preview of what I hopefully will be doing for the rest of my life. The little girl walked away, and I crossed my fingers that I wouldn't be tasered and arrested for walking up to Biel.

I walked up to her. I stuck out my hand and shook hers, I said, "You are a great actress. You are an idol from my childhood. We grew up with you."

Jaimie jumped in, "'7th Heaven.'" Biel, Jaimie, and I laughed and I said, "Can we take a quick picture?" There were hundreds of cameramen flashing photos around, and here Jaimie and I were with our digital cameras looking for one picture.

Again, in my head I crossed my fingers. Had I really talked to Jessica Biel on the red carpet of a movie premier? Had I really just avoided star struck-ness? Was this the first step to everything I want to do in the future? I snapped back to reality as Biel replied with a smile, "Sure."

As Jaimie and I went in to take the picture though, Biel's security guard shoved us out of the way. I said calmly, "But she said it was okay." He responded, "No," and then Biel jumped in and said to her security guard, "I said it was okay, one picture, it's fine," and looked at us with a genuine smile.

Some celebrities are fake; some celebrities just nod and then let their security guards take care of business- and some celebrities simply don't care. Biel's reaction to her security guard was the deal breaker for me. Biel is officially fan friendly; maybe she still does have a little of that innocent Mary in her from "7th Heaven"-or maybe she just learned how to grow into a wonderful, stunning, young woman.